Scotland players must shoulder some of blame for Burley sacking, says Hegarty
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PAUL Hegarty believes the Scotland players should shoulder some of the responsibility for the sacking of George Burley.
Hegarty lost his own job as part of the backroom staff, along with Terry Butcher, when the axe fell in the wake of last weekend’s defeat in Wales.
He says the players themselves know the 3-0 defeat simply was not good enough and he urged them to hold on to that memory in a bid to avoid a repeat in the future.
Hegarty said: “Managers are judged on results and managers normally fall by the wayside because of that.
“I’m sure the players will be hurting. They know they didn’t play well against Wales. There was silence after the game, they were upset, we were upset. If the players can remember what it felt like at quarter to five in Wales, they should make sure it doesn’t happen again – not just for themselves but for Scotland as a nation. I know if I was a fan I would have been looking for a better performance.”
Hegarty’s short-lived career with the Scotland team is the latest setback in a luckless managerial career which has also included spells with Aberdeen, Dundee United and Livingston.
Despite lasting just two months in the job, Hegarty said he would jump at the chance to rejoin the Scotland set-up.
The search has now begun for Burley’s successor but, far from being jaded by his experience of working with the national team, Hegarty says he would be interested in resuming his role under the new manager.
“Of course I would be,” he said. “You really don’t know what’s going to happen in life in general and especially in football. I would be interested. But that’s for other people to decide. People know what I’m like on and off the park.”
